Professor David Oliver, University of Kent, UK, and a board member of the European Association for Palliative Care, describes key activities that were discussed at the latest board meeting held in Dublin, Ireland.

Prof. David Oliver

The EAPC Board met in Dublin, Ireland, on 12 to 13 October 2016, where we looked at the new developments for the EAPC:

EAPC now has an office in Brussels

The aim is to develop increasing links with the European Union and European Commission and this is the first step. Head Office for EAPC Onlus remains in Milan, Italy, and Julie, as Chief Executive Officer, will continue to work from Dublin, Ireland.

Organisation of upcoming congresses is progressing well

The 15th EAPC World Congress ‘Progressing Palliative Care’ will be held in Madrid, Spain from 18th to 20th May 2017 – abstracts submission was extended to the 31st October and ‘Early Bird’ registration is available until 15th February 2017. Visit the congress website for latest information. And please see the reminder at the end of this post about EAPC Researcher Awards!

The 10th World Research Congress of the EAPC Research Network will be held in Bern, Switzerland, from 23rd to 26th May 2018. (Website is currently under construction).

Increasing links with World Health Organization (WHO)

With increasing contact and links with the WHO in Europe, the EAPC may apply to be an affiliated organization in the near future, allowing increased collaboration and communication.

European Union

The EAPC is increasingly involved with EU-funded projects. We are a partner in two current projects and have been involved in four new project proposals.

The EAPC is represented at the Civil Society Forum on Drugs – which considers the management of drug addiction, including rehabilitation, drug control – and has pressed for availability of medication for medicinal use. This area has been included in the EU response to the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) and in other EU documents.

Social media

There has been an overall increase of 17.5 per cent in social media use – as blog posts, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. As always, we welcome all members to join us on our social media links.

The EAPC Facebook page currently records almost 3,600 ‘likes’. Each article/post published on the EAPC Blog receives on average of 225 views per day. Sign up to receive an email notification each time a new post is published on the blog.

New EAPC taskforces

There are plans for new taskforces looking at palliative care for prisoners and the palliative care of refugees/migrants, as well as the ongoing work of 13 other taskforces. New papers from the taskforces are available on the EAPC website where there is a special section for taskforces.

The Board welcomes comments and suggestions from members as we seek to look at the development of palliative care throughout Europe, and in collaboration with other organisations across the World. This is the opportunity to become more involved – take it now and use the EAPC Blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to connect with us.

Everyone is welcome to contact the President, Professor Phil Larkin, or the Chief Executive Officer, Julie Ling, at Julie.ling@eapcnet.eu

Each year, the EAPC awards scientists’ and clinicians’ outstanding contributions in the field of palliative care. Three prizes will be awarded: Early researcher – Post doc – Clinical impact. The Scientific Committee will select one winner to present his/her work by giving a plenary lecture at the 15th EAPC World Congress in Madrid. Travel costs, accommodation and registration fee will be covered. The other winners will be publicly honoured at the congress and at the congress homepage. The EAPC will be happy to cover their registration fees. Find more information on the 2017 awards here. Applications will be accepted until 5pm on November 30, 2016.